The China Film Administration has confirmed that it will reduce the number of U.S. films allowed to enter the country, hours after Donald Trump imposed record tariffs on Chinese products.
“The wrong action of the U.S. government to abuse tariffs on China will inevitably further reduce the domestic audience’s favorability towards American films,” the China Film Administration said in a statement Thursday. “We will follow the market rules, respect the audience’s choice, and moderately reduce the number of American films imported.”
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While Trump announced a 90-day pause on tariff hikes globally, he has increased tariffs on goods from China to 145%, after China unveiled its plans to impose reciprocal tariffs of 84% on U.S. imports.
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The China Film Administration’s announcement comes after two well-connected and influential Chinese bloggers floated an identical outline of countermeasures they said Chinese authorities were considering in the wake of Trump’s earlier tariff threats.
20th Century and Disney’s The Amateur, starring Rami Malek, Rachel Brosnahan and Caitriona Balfe, is due for release in China on Friday. The rerelease of Universal’s Furious 7, which was the top-grossing Hollywood film in China at one point, is also set for release in the country tomorrow.
Currently, Furious 7, alongside A Minecraft Movie, are leading presales for Friday in China, according to ticketing and entertainment platform Maoyan.
Box office gross from American films in China has drastically declined since the heyday of 2012-2019 prior to the pandemic, but the Chinese market remains a key financial contributor for U.S. studios.
Last weekend, Minecraft Movie from Warner Bros and Legendary opened in China in first place, with ticket sales of $14.5 million, which makes up just over 10% of the film’s $144M international box office takings.
In response to these developments, a spokesperson from Imax said: “We are pleased that China Film Administration has clarified its position on U.S. film imports and highly confident — given our decades of business and strong relationships in the country — that Imax’s robust slate in China, which includes Hollywood, Chinese and international films, will not be materially impacted. We continue to expect a strong year for Imax in China, coming off our highest grossing first quarter ever in the country.”